Beauty

The One Brow Definer Beloved By Makeup Newbies And Experts Alike

Don’t sleep on this

Friends don’t let friends miss out on all the cool, under-the-radar things they know about, like which little-known beauty brand is low-key making the best highlighter around. And because we consider our readers to be like friends, we gather together all our best finds in our Don’t Sleep On This series. Check in every week to see what things we can’t wait to share with you.

I'll be the first to say that I'm very, very far from a beauty guru. In fact, most mornings, I apply, take off, then reapply my eyeliner, unable to get that perfect pointy cat eye. One thing I never have to worry about though? My brows. 

Back at the start of the contoured brow trend (which, thankfully, overtook the scarily over-tweezed brows trend of the '90s and early-'00s), I was more than hesitant to pick up any sort of brow filler to give my dirty blond hairs some well-needed assistance. To be honest, I didn't even go out of my way to seek this particular brow definer out. But then, one day, when I was checking out at Sephora, a very very sweet cashier slipped it into my bag with the eyeliner I was purchasing, gave me a wink, and out the door I went. As soon as I got home, I sat down in front of my mirror and started playing around, dumping out my makeup collection onto the ground to create an over-the-top look to match my first attempt at bold brows. 

Within mere minutes, I had no trouble at all making my brows bold and symmetrical to my satisfaction. At the time, I had a blunt, black bob, and was shocked to see how much more put-together I looked once my brows had the same edginess as my mane. Who would have thought? (Probably everyone who has even the slightest bit of knowledge about makeup, but, you know, it's a learning curve.) 

Rather than a pointy pencil, the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer has a triangular shaped tip, which makes it much easier to control how subtle or dark you want the shading to be. The wider edge is perfect for filling out your brows, while the thinner side is great for the fine details along the edges. Flip the definer around, and there's a soft spoolie brush, which I personally use to brush my brows up and make it look like I hadn't face-planted into my pillow the night before; it can also be used for easy blending. 

It's as if this product was made for someone like me, who was afraid to make the leap into defined brows. It's like Anastasia herself is there while I'm using the pencil, coaxing me along (and offering plenty of assistance in cleaning up my mistakes). 

Even as I've rapidly changed hair colors since being blessed by that Sephora cashier, the dark brown shade has complemented all hues, from ultraviolet to my current blue. But if it's not the shade for you, there are nine other hues to choose from, and at only $23, it's not a budget-buster, particularly when considering how long it lasts. Thank you, ABH, for making me look a little more fluent in the world of makeup and a lot more put-together, always. 

Anastasia Beverly Hills, Brow Definer, $23, available at Anastasia Beverly Hills